Across the country schools were shut, cities ground to a halt, roads were closed, transport disrupted and people urged to stay inside for their own safety.

In Duluth, Minnesota, the wind chill factor brought the temperature down to -55F (48C).

Worst hit were states in the Great Lakes region especially Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Other badly affected states included North and South Dakota.

In Indiana, Gov. Mike Pence ordered the National Guard to assist in rescuing stranded motorists, moving individuals to shelters, and helping local emergency medical services.

With temperatures falling to a level at which a car's anti-freeze is rendered ineffective, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard upgraded the city's travel emergency level to "red," making it illegal for anyone to drive except for emergencies or seeking shelter.

The last time the city issued such a travel warning was during the 1978 blizzard.

Many other cities ground to a halt including St Louis, Missouri, where the zoo and art museum were closed.

In Minnesota, Governor Mark Dayton ordered the closure of all state-run schools.

"I have made this decision to protect all our children from the dangerously cold temperatures," he said.

Minneapolis took the rare step of issuing a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning, which is normally used for tornados.

School closures were also ordered in many other parts of the country including Chicago, parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Matt Frame brushes off a Buick at Ray Laethem Buick-GMC in Detroit (AP)

Similar closures were ordered further south as far as Oklahoma City and Tulsa as the big chill extended its grip across the country.

Other southern states including Georgia and Alabama were also having to cope with temperatures far below freezing.

Atlanta was colder than Moscow and Memphis, Tennessee was 20 degrees colder than Anchorage, Alaska.

In Louisiana, for example, the cold snap was threatening the fruit and vegetable industry, with citrus farmers fearing that they could lose part of their crop.

North eastern states such as Maine, which had been battered by the snow last week, enjoyed a temporary respite from the the worst of the cold weather.

But even this interlude was expected to be short lived as the biting winds headed eastwards across the country.

Brian Korty, the lead forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center, part of the US Government's National Weather Service, said the country was being hit with the coldest temperatures since 1994.

"It is hitting everywhere east of the Rockies," Mr Korty told The Telegraph.

The weather also brought chaos to the US transport network with black ice and snow making roads impassable in some parts of the country.

Airline passengers faced continued frustration with more than 3,000 flights across the country cancelled as airports struggled to cope with the mix of snow and ice.

At John F. Kennedy International Airport, a plane slid into snow Sunday morning, prompting the airport to suspend operations for about two hours because of icy runways.

Flights were also hit at another of the United States' key hub airports, O'Hare in Chicago.